Vico ready to negotiate with employees of sub contractor

The management of oil and gas company PT Vico in Muara Badak, East Kalimantan, is ready to negotiate with the protesting employees of its sub contractor, according to the local Suara Kaltim daily.

The paper quoted Hasanuddin Rahman of Vico as saying that the company wanted the problem to be quickly resolved.

Hasanuddin said that that Vico had made the offer to the protesting employees and the company was waiting for the response.

But he said that the negotiation would only be opened if the protesting employees ended their road blockade.

The employees of Vico sub contractor who are grouped in the SBSI labor union started their protest since August 2 by blockading the road of the main gate to Vico Muara Badak operation. The protesting employees have 17 demands. But it is not clear whether the road blockade had serious affected the operation.

Meanwhile, the East Kalimantan office of the Ministry of Labor Affairs said that the demonstration of the employees was illegal because they had not asked for the permission of nor applied the protest plans at the local labor dispute settlement agency. (*)